Lately I’ve come across several instances of what could be called desperate or just sleazy behavior. Such as budding actors grasping at what they think will be a good credit for their resume and/or lead to additional work will do a job, say, a radio commercial, for free or very low rates. Or clients needing to save more and more money to enhance their bottom lines, so jobs that perhaps should’ve been union go non-union, and those that should’ve been non-union via talent agents or respected production companies trickle down to anyone the client can find online who’s willing to low-ball already low rates.
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Technology: friend and foe
From time to time, VO and on-camera talents have to update their marketing materials, such as headshots, resumes, demo reels, and VO demos. Our look might have changed, we hope to have more credits, and always want to put our best foot forward. These days, printed pictures and resumes are requested less and less. So everything needs to be uploaded online.
Mixing business with pleasure
On any given night, several friends and colleagues are performing in shows or appearing in movies, at storytelling events or book readings. There are too many to support them all. Last weekend, I got to buy a successful artist friend’s new book at a fun signing (and am honored to be a picture of the event roaming the Internet).
Getting something on the calendar
I still prefer to use a Day-Timer for my calendaring. Though I know things like Outlook and Google calendars can sync phone and computer, I like the ease of flipping open my little notebook and seeing a month at a glance instead of waiting for the computer screen to load and clicking around.
Because my schedule changes so frequently, and some days I have to check my calendar many times, I need quick access to upcoming business and social events. Auditions and callbacks pop up and require fast response. Colleagues and friends may reschedule, or I might. And sometimes more than once, depending on work conflicts that arise.
This week I was on hold for a VO Monday morning, meaning the client was deciding between me and maybe one or two others, so I had to keep that time open. Until I didn’t get it. Late Monday I got a check avail for another VO to record Tuesday or Wednesday, meaning the client has chosen a few people and wants to know our availability. I pencilled those times in, but found out Tuesday afternoon that the project had been postponed and there’d likely be another check avail next week. I hope I find out before it’s too late to change a couple of routine doctor appointments and can avoid cancellation fees.
And when it rains, it often pours. A friend recently said after he’d booked a job, he couldn’t do another the same day that paid a lot more. Recently I missed out on a huge audition because the 5 minute slot they had for me was in the middle of a VO job. I was only 4 blocks away, but they couldn’t give me another time. Once I had three on-camera auditions at three different places…in an hour and 45 minutes. Other days, no work or auditions.
There are just so many people who can control the timing of and have to coordinate every step of any given project…the client, the ad agency, a casting agency, the production team, even the location. For example, I had a job at a store, and we could only film after it closed.
We never know when the phone will ring/emails will pop up…for auditions, callbacks, check avails, holds or new work. Or when or if any of those will change.
Waiting
Feelancers are often in waiting mode. Our work flow is predicated on others wanting to hire us, and usually on their schedules, not ours. We can’t know when the phone will ring or when opportunities will present themselves. We can only control our output and how much waiting gets to us.
Additional information: Sometimes we need additional information or answers to questions before we can move forward on a project. For example, many VO jobs come without a pronunciation guide. I send a list of terms with suggested pronunciations, but have to wait for them to reply.
Benefit of the doubt?
Self-publish or not?
Many author friends and acquaintances have abandoned traditional publishing in favor of self-publishing. Others do both. Some are doing quite well, earning what I consider to be good money and making best-seller lists. Others aren’t. Some already had name recognition. Some make it sound so easy to do and succeed.
Yet there are many steps and tasks to complete before any self-pubbed release, including desigining your own cover to writing back cover copy to formatting to hiring an editor to uploading to setting the price…things traditional New York publishers and many smaller publishers do for the author so s/he can focus on promoting one book while writing the next. I’m taking an online class and am getting a lot great information in one place.
There are benefits to being in control, but also many costs, both in money and time. The instructor hasn’t said yet how much of both she’s spent. I’m not sure I want to wear other hats in addition to author, though I’m sure the process gets streamlined and easier as you put out more product. On the other hand, I could get my manuscripts to readers when I chose. Traditional publishers, in my experience, take a long time to read submissions (an editor who requested in April 2011 just wrote that it’d be a few more weeks before I heard) and can take a year or more to turn a manuscript into a published book. The proof is in the sales numbers, but I still believe having, say, St. Martin’s on my cover would have more caché than whatever name I could come up with.
On the other hand, there are so many self-pubbed books out there already, how would I make mine stand out? A few places review self-pubbed books, but many review sites want to see an established publisher’s name on the spine. RT Book Reviews , a premier trade publication, has a self-pub column but concentrates on traditional publishing.
What’s the definition of published nowadays? I’ve heard if you sell 5,000 copies of a self-pubbed book the first year, that’s considered good. If you’ve self-pubbed, but only your mom and a few friends have bought your book(s), are you published just because you can read your work on your e-reader?
Healthcare Cost- Take 2
Will new healthcare laws really help those who don’t have insurance? How about those, such as myself, who pay hundreds of dollars every month but still have high deductibles? Those who have insurance, but often when we need something, it might not be covered at all, much less fully covered?
For example, an online chat with customer service confirmed that Aetna covers a “routine” colonoscopy at age 50. They don’t cover any pathology charges. Who knows before taking the test if ours will be routine? Whether there’ll be additional charges, or how much they’ll be?
Also, Aetna won’t cover the full cost of the prep my doctor chose. With it, patients drink a lot less bad-tasting liquid can choose among assorted clear liquids for most of it. Apparently I’m fortunate that they’ll even cover some…around 12%. That leaves me paying appx. $83. I can, but how many can’t? How many will have to endure additional suffering for this and other procedures because their insurance companies won’t cover state of the art treatments or prescriptions?
I wonder how many of us feel like victims at times, little Davids or Davidas nearly helpless in the face of Goliath’s rules handed down from on high that often don’t serve those who are paying for service. If we spend our time and make the effort to take on the insurance company, to question or appeal any decision or charge we don’t agree with or understand, is victory worth it on principle, or do we have a chance of actually saving money? Or do we just pay the bill? Should we be grateful to have any coverage at all?
At this time of year, many people make New Year’s resolutions. They say they’ll excercise more, eat fewer fattening foods, perhaps drink less or spend less time surfing the Internet. Quit smoking. But it’s hard to resist that yummy carrot cake. Sometimes we’re too tired to work out for a whole hour several times a week. Facebook is fun, and all those videos and articles so interesting, time suck that they may be.
We want to do better, be better, yet often allow the desire for instant gratification to self-sabotage us and our good intentions. Many things may be fun in the moment, but can cause guilt, remorse or lower self-esteem after the fact. Did we really need that whole half gallon of ice cream? Well, at least it’s Edy’s Slow Churned.
Almost all resolutions require self-discipline. Can we dig deep and find it now when we didn’t have it before? Many of us need to rely on outside sources. Some have productivity, exercise or writing buddies who help them stay on track, either working with them or checking in to be sure they’ve met agreed upon goals. Some impose monetary penalties on themselves or cancel social events if, say, they procrastinate. Some use apps that cut off access to the Internet. Others who lack self-control may need even more help to attain positive results.
Why can’t people just be trustworthy? Why don’t citizens always do as we should and/or obey laws? Speed bumps on neighborhood streets insure we don’t go over the limit. Red light cameras prove that we did or didn’t enter the intersection on the yellow. Nanny cams make sure caregivers are properly tending to children instead of, say, talking on the phone or watching TV. GPS devices on phones and in cars tell parents where their kids are (unless the kid finds a way to jimmy them).
The only way to be absolutely sure that people are doing what they say they will isn’t usually feasible: 24/7 monitoring. It’s rare that a spouse or significant other, or mother and child, or partners, will be in each other’s company every minute of every day. So how do we really know what they’re doing or not doing?
How would you know if, say, your husband did in fact quit smoking? What’s sufficient proof? Not finding cigarettes in his car or briefcase? Not smelling smoke on his clothes or breath? He might have quit. Or he might be going to great lengths to make it seem like he did so he doesn’t disappoint his spouse. Even though he’s still disappointing himself.
So it comes back to self-discipline. The person should want to change for himself, not to please someone else. What changes do you want to make?
What is the cost of healthcare?
No one would walk into a store and buy anything without knowing the cost before taking the item to the register. Can you imagine buying a pair of jeans and waiting weeks until the bill came to find out the price? Many people, myself included, often wait for sales to make purchases.
Yet most of the time, when it comes to the cost of healthcare, we’re in the dark about what we’ll have to pay. How many doctors’ offices post their fees? Not long ago, I took a friend to an immediate care center. The initial visit cost was clearly stated on a sign on a wall; but it also said there might be additional costs. I went to a different one recently, and no costs were posted. When you’re sick enough to be at an immediate care center, are you going to spend a lot of time and effort finding out how much your visit will cost, or do you just want relief?
Of course, part of this uncertainty is because neither the doctor can’t be sure what services or in office tests you’ll need before examining you. If he/she wants to do a prodecure while you’re in the chair, he/she probably won’t know how much it costs. Nor are medical personnel likely to wait while you try to search the Internet on your phone for average costs.
So what’s a patient to do? The Healthcare Bluebook could prove useful if you know what you need in advance. Costs of many standard procedures vary widely, too, so doing due diligence on providers beforehand could save a lot of money. Interestingly, the Affordable Care Act doesn’t seem to include provisions to help patients gain knowledge of medical fees or require care providers to be more transparent. Maybe I just couldn’t find them?
Sometimes, when the bill arrives, it’s difficult to figure out what all the itemized items are for. Or there’s just a lump sum, with no explanation.
I have insurance (the already high premium is going up 5.6% next month), but also a high deductible. My last visit to a specialist will cost me $938 for less than 15 minutes of the doctor’s time. I hadn’t researched probable costs. But if the symptoms persist and I go for another appointment as he suggested, I will.